Post Double Hello Recruiting Tea leaves
After today's unexpected Double Hello Post we can take a longer look at how the remaining class may fill out. Although today probably indicates the long way goodbye to other possibilities (Scott, A. Jackson, J. Smith, etc.) it does allow a more focused recruiting until NSD. Thoughts on where we should focus our remaining schollies and realistic expectations (enough of the dream team lists). Also, next most likely recruit to drop?
It is a great class so far; however, I think Hand is as close to a "must get" recruit as can be.
Why? Because you want him the most?
Securing Hand would provide a supremely talented player in a position that we haven't exactly torn up in the past five years. Athletic dominant defensive ends are vital in locking down Urbz Offense, technique notwithstanding. THe buzz created from bringing in a #1 is valuable in our media driven world of recruiting...other recruits take notice. In addition, losing out could be viewed as something we didn't do versus something another school did. Plus, it isn't every year that a dominant DE, who truly values academics and the total student-athlete concept, lists UM as a leader.
"Securing Hand would provide a supremely talented player in a position that we haven't exactly torn up in the past five years."
Did Brandon Graham not tear things up enough for you.
Exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis. You have to go back to 2007 to scoop up Woodley.
That Brandon Graham was recruited more than five classes ago.
We can take two Hands??!!!!! Mind blown.
What does Ian Bunting have to do with this?
Not sure about Westphal is he is only being recruited as a CB. Coaches want a safety in this class, so guys like Nicholson and Juju Smith might get focused more moving forward.
I don't believe this necessarily means goodbye to Adoree' Jackson or JuJu Smith (although, things don't really look that good with Jackson anyhow, so that's a bit of a moot point). I think this means that we can only take one of the remaining DB targets, whereas before we might have taken two.
That said, I guess its hard to imagine JuJu in the class now, given that he won't be visiting until The Game in November...hard to think the spot will stay open that long.
We do not do well getting skill position players from the deep south and west. Linemen, sure, but receivers and backs, not so much.
Yeah, who was that QB that just graduated anyway? I know he never threw passes to Gallon, right?
Florida does not qualify as the deep south. Once you cross over the Georgia border you are back in the north somehow.
I think it's because of all the retirees moving down there.
Georgia: Carlos Brown
Louisiana: Anthony Thomas
Alabama: Max Martin
North Carolina: Chris Perry
Texas: Sam McGuffie, David Underwood
We are in the picture for a 2014 Anthony Thomas. His name is Leonard Fournette.
I guess he might not have a spot left if Nicholson commits before him.
I don't think this ends our DB or WR recruiting for the 2014 class at all. We could take an other WR and maybe 2 more DBs. I think Hand is our next likliest 2014 commit, but our next commit could probably be from the 2015 class.
I'm beginning to wonder if Hand commits prior to McDowell if that might drive McDowell elsewhere. I don't think the reverse scenarios holds true. Also, do we consider another DT?
Malik ain't scurred.
And I don't believe we're going after any other DTs...Andrew Brown was the last DT target and he eliminated us a while back.
Not sure about resources, future plans, or whether it is even a conscious decision (you end up with the guys who want you as much as the other way around), but this class will have a much smaller Ohio presence compared to coach Hoke's first two. 9 Ohio kids signed in both the '12 and '13 classes. '14 currently has just one (Ferns) and there doesn't seem to be a big Ohio presence among the guys we're still pursuing.
In my opinion, the 2014 class in Ohio is a pretty weak one. There are a few good players at the top (Lattimore, Booker, Ferns, Smith, etc.), but it seems like Ohio often produces some good players in the trenches, and I don't see much of that this year.
With 3 of the top 8 on Rivals committed to Kentucky (WTF?) and two of the uncommitted guys in that group coming from Glenville, it seems like a perfect storm for us not getting much there this year.
...and a few of those guys probably would be Wolverines if the coaches bothered to offer.
You have to figure that kids who end up at UK either weren't pursued by M/OSU or wouldn't have come there under any circumstances.
Do you think that Darius West should have been offered?
Nope. I don't think he's on the same level as most guys Michigan is bringing in. He's a guy that, in my opinion, might be a last-minute offer if you've struck out on some other guys, maybe in December or January.
Are you saying there are a few guys that the coaches should offer, or that they haven't bothered because they're pursuing higher rated prospects?
I guess I could have been clearer.
I mean the coaches are busy pursuing higher rated prospects. The guys in Ohio who haven't been offered don't really deserve offers, in my opinion. From what I've seen, the only guy that maybe deserves/deserved an offer is WR Thaddeus Snodgrass.
I think John Smith would still be an option. He's either a safety or a wide receiver, and Michigan still needs a safety in this class...and perhaps another wide receiver. Watson is a corner.
don't see this as hurting us. We had been hearing dubious things about Scott and Westphal anyway, and this doesn't seem like guys who are steps down. Smith and Jackson have always been longer shots, though I still think we get one of them, and there are a couple 5* that seem cooler now, but could heat up. Hand is obviously a priority, as well as McDowell. Out of say 4 remaining 5* on our board, I still say we get 2, then out of Williams, Nicholson, Westphal, Scott, and Dickerson, I say we get 2, which puts us up at 17 total, then who knows who else. Maybe someone we haven't heard about, who is a 4*. Let's cool on the sky is falling talk.
He is a 2015 prospect, so the fact that he could be the "next" to drop with a commitment to Michigan has really zero affect on the other people we are recruiting right now.
Does anyone else think that Mcdowell's recruitment is going a bit strangely?
Not really.
I think we all have to remember that it's June 2013, and these kids still have another 7 or 8 months to decide where they want to go to college.